A home following biophilic ideology and influenced by biomorphism architecture. The starting point is: What is home? Is it an enclosure of bricks and mortar? Or a feeling, an emotion? Will it be enough to be one and not the other? Or is it a confluence of the corporal and the abstract, a meeting ground of the tangible and the intangible, an intersection of the mind and the body?
Editor’s Note: “The residence unfolds like a sanctuary, where the dramatic interplay of brick, indoors, and outdoors weaves a cocoon of warmth. Guided by the landscape’s gentle whisper, this abode embodies the very soul of Biomorphism. Every design element, meticulously curated, holds an inherent preciousness, crafting an experience that lingers in memory, timeless and unique.” ~Simran Khare
This Home is Influenced by Biomorphism Architecture | The Grid Architects
These are some of the introspections we did when designing a home influenced by biomorphism architecture for Daaji. He is the WORLD spiritual leader of the Sahaj Marg (heartfulness) path of meditation. That our deliberations became tinged with the metaphysical was not surprising.
We also paid heed to Daaji’s notion of a home—a place where ‘you’ and ‘I’ are supplanted with ‘us’, where we can cultivate a comfortable and warm atmosphere in addition to its physical location.
As a result, our design strive towards simplicity of articulation and richness of spirit and endeavor for a space that embodied human emotions and sentiments rather than being an enclosure erected with building materials. The paradigm of togetherness and being oneself was thus set by Daaji’s house.
The house also reflects biomorphism architecture is situated in the Heartfulness Centre at Kanha Shantivanam in Hyderabad, in a gated community. The land, initially, was full of rocks with a few existing trees.
These rocks, it is said, are primeval entities, one of the very first in the world. Sensing their intrinsic preciousness and uniqueness, Daaji wished to keep them in situ. Thus, this became a challenge while planning the organization and executing the footprint of the biomorphism house architecture.
The site was paramount when it came to formalizing the built envelope. The movement of the home was controlled by the positioning of the stones and trees.
We took inspiration from water to create a fluidic plan that wrapped around trees and flowed around rocks, imbibing the very essence of nature into its form. The house is low and spreads over the site in order to blend with the surroundings.
A development that minimized the vertical allowed the building to be physically connected to the land in a stronger manner, letting natural aspects such as trees be visually dominant.
As with all our projects, nature has driven the materiality of the home. Simple, humble materials imbued with the beauty and the goodness of Earth drive the narrative towards a warm contextual-ness that resonates with elemental energies.
Red bricks complement the cool Kota stone flooring. Simple lime plaster clads the various edifices. And yet, the material does not end here. The trees, the rocks, the sunlight, and the air all contribute to creating experiential juxtapositions that are effortless and enduring.
The north entrance of the house guides you to a vestibule and, subsequently, two internal passages. As the client receives many visitors and dignitaries, it became very important to ensure some privacy for him. Thus, one passage leads to the main living room, whereas the other takes you to a study room and Daaji’s bedroom.
The ground floor consists of the living and the dining area as the main spaces for public access, while the rest of the house — including the upper storey comprising full of bedrooms — is designated as a private zone. The living room of the house was designed to be comparatively more spacious than other homes due to a large number of people walking in throughout the day. The well-lit room opens on the south to an external platform, forming an extension to the living room.
The dining and the kitchen adjoin the living room. Just like the living room, the dining room, too, overlooks the central courtyard on both sides which directly let in the north light. The kitchen is segregated into a wet and dry area and makes considerable room for cooking utensils. This ensures better coordination during large gatherings.
The central idea while scripting this design was nature — architecturally as well as in the internal articulation. Just as the gentle, demure built-form lets nature take precedence, internally, too, courtyards, hallways, and other spaces are integrated with the surroundings. The arrangement of each room was orientated towards nature.
The skewed wall in the living room, for instance, allows a massive rock to come inside the room, so that the monolith lies partly enclosed and partly outside in the adjacent courtyard. The angular deployment also ensures sufficient light from the south, southeast, and northwest directions. Similarly, a wall of the outdoor verandah was whittled away to make way for the tree to grow through the cut-out.
The home is part of a gated community living. The surrounding landscape has been developed by adding ponds that collect the rainwater that is used to irrigate the area around the home as well as the communal landscape. The development also houses the world’s biggest meditation hall.
The home features an organic material palette comprising red bricks (for masonry), lime plaster, and Kota stone. The alignment of the built form and the ecosystem with its existing rocks became a part of the construction process. The jugalbandi of the trees, rocks, and the built form enriched the space to be grown as a part of nature rather than out of it.
The biophilic idea of living with vegetation played an important role in the material palette. There was no specific execution drawing for the project since it was derived with respect to the existing ecology. The elements were not restricted to just local species of plants but also extended to rainwater harvesting.
The usage of charcoal, a natural fertilizer, played a huge role in developing the greenery around. The height of the building not exceeding the existing trees was deliberately done to prevent the architecture from asserting dominance—symbolizing nature to be above all.
Daaji’s home is designed with the intention of being shaped by nature, built by nature, and growing as part of nature. It is inspired by and respects the system of an Indian household addressing togetherness, sacrifice, and, above all, love. The biophilic architecture of the house interweaves the spaces with these sentimental values. This makes this house a ‘home’—making it clear that it is not just the strength of brick but also the strength of love that binds the roots of the home.
Fact File
Designed by: The Grid Architects
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: Daaji’s Home
Location: Ahmedabad
Year Built: 2022
Project Size: 42532 Sq.ft
Principal Architects: Snehal Suthar & Bhadri Suthar
Photograph Courtesy: Vinay Panjwani
Manufacturers: Saint-Gobain, Astral Pipes, L&T, Mitsubishi, TATA
The Firm’s Website Link: The Grid Architects
Firm’s Instagram Link: The Grid Architects
Firm’s Facebook Link: The Grid Architects
Source: Archdaily
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